The Boston Celtics are on the precipice of history, defeating the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, 104-103, on Saturday night at Kaseya Center in an instant classic.
The series is tied 3-3, with Game 7 set for Monday night.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
There has been plenty made about the Celtics’ struggles to get consistent production out of their stars this postseason.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who both made All-NBA after phenomenal regular seasons, have each put together some stinkers in the postseason. It is very much part of the reason why the Celtics, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, fell behind 0-3 to the No. 8 seeded Heat in this series. Brown was a minus-49 collectively between Games 2 and 3, while Tatum shot 33.3% from the field in Game 3.
The two stars haven’t consistently been stars for Boston, which is why it must have been nice to see Miami struggle with the same issue in Game 6.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who both made the NBA All-Star Game with Butler making All-NBA, saved their collective implosion for the worst time possible. Miami’s dynamic duo combined to average over 43 points per game in the regular season, but finished with just 35 points on 9-for-37 shooting in Game 6, forcing a bench scorer (Caleb Martin) and injured point guard (Gabe Vincent) to try and pick up the slack.
Despite all of that, the Heat were up with just three seconds remaining.
That’s when Derrick White did this.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Marcus Smart was Boston’s most consistent player on the night, continuing his scoring spree with a 21-point night. He also contributed solid defense, being the point man on Adebayo throughout the middle two quarters.
— Caleb Martin did exactly what bettors expected from him entering the night, finishing with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 15 rebounds
— Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 31 points, with his gigantic first half helping the Celtics build a lead. He had 11 rebounds and two blocks to go along with his offensive output.
WAGER WATCH
Martin was the best player Miami had Saturday, recording a double-double for the first time this postseason. DraftKings Sportsbook gave him -110 odds to surpass 19.5 total points, rebounds and assists, which he did within one half. A $100 wager placed on the 27-year-old netted in a $190.91 total payout.
UP NEXT
The series heads back to Boston for a winner-take-all Game 7, with the Celtics and Heat meeting for a chance to face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Tipoff from TD Garden is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
